About Me

Hi! I'm Shanticka. My blog is about any and everything that I want it to be. Me, my family, work, personal style, friends, etc. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy getting to know me. Live, in living color.

11.10.2013

I hope you guys enjoyed your weekend. For those of us who work a 9 to 5 from Mon-Fri, tomorrow it's back to the rat race for another fun week of work. Yay *insert sarcasm*!!

Winter has come for us in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". And even though it didn't stick, we've actually gotten some snow! That may be a surprise to you (depending on where you're from), but it doesn't surprise me at all. Pretty much, any time after September, we expect it. lol!

It was such a nice Fall afternoon, that I decided to step out and take a few pics! I'm giving myself and my daughter a huge pat on the back for this, because it's been a struggle. My bathroom "selfies" have been off the chain on IG because of how my schedule has been. Are you following me on Instagram (@TickaNascha)?? If not, you're really missing out. Well, you're not really missing anything, but you should follow me anyway. Capeesh? Now on to the OOTD.

The dress that I'm wearing was given to me by Sis-Inlaw. She's a rockstar with her weight-loss and gave me a bag of items that she could no longer fit. One of the items I chose was this dress, knowing full well that I could not fit it. It was just too cute to pass up! I tried it on later on that evening, which confirmed what I knew to be true. There's a little bit of stretch in the material, but I couldn't get it past my hips/butt!! At that time, I hadn't really started my health journey, but I knew it was coming. This dress became somewhat of a goal for me.

Fast forward to now… I forgot all about it. I was looking for something to wear to work, complaining as usual about having nothing to wear, and this dress jumped out at me. Literally. It fell off of the hanger. I stared at it, and went back and forth on if I should try it on or not. Even though I know I'd been consistent in the gym (still got some work to do on my eating habits), I didn't see myself as being able to fit into the dress. I didn't want to be disappointed. Long story short, I tried it on, and... WAH-LAH!! It fit!! I haven't stepped on a scale in months, but once I was able to pull this dress down over my hips and it didn't cut off my circulation, I knew a few changes had taken place.

This served as a reminder for me. A reminder to continue to work towards my goals. Just because I don't see change everyday, doesn't mean that it isn't present. I'm going to keep going, and keep loving me along the way. This is why I rock =)

10.06.2013

Hey peeps!! As the weekend ends, I'm lounging in sweats, a t-shirt and socks. Minnesota weather is quickly turning to Fall, and we're at a cool 50 degrees and rainy, with no signs over summer left. I haven't left my house all day, and I make no apologies for it. I see most of my Instagram & blogger buddies wishing for Fall weather around their way. You ladies should come to Minnesota, we have all the chill in the air that you need :)

This was a work outfit from about a week ago. It was around 70 degrees and sunny. That's the perfect Fall day for me. I got to pull out my favorite knee boots and a cute scarf for a pop of color.

Wanna know a little something about this dress? It's from Target. Wanna know something else? It's from the maternity section. Yea. I said it. The Maternity Section.

So there I am. Perusing the Target clearance isles, per usual. I came across this cute little striped number for $8.97. It was two of my favorite things. Striped and cheap. I took it in the dressing room and tried it on. It fit!! I looked at the tag again before going to the register, just to make sure that I counted all of my items correctly… and that's when I saw it. MATERNITY. o_O

Say what now? Maternity?! I was ready to put it back. I was so mad. I couldn't imagine that I would wear a maternity dress without actually being pregnant. I'm not sure why, but I just couldn't. It made me feel some type of way :/ Then I remembered a post from one of the first plus sized bloggers that I "followed". Ever so stylish GabiFresh blogged about a super cute dress that she wore from the maternity section of ASOS. Then, I thought… Why not? Because it sounded bad for me to be able to fit a maternity dress.

My next thoughts were, it's cute, and I look good in it, so I bought it and wore it. POW!!

10.03.2013

Hey Peeps!! Happy Friday!! *cue the party streamers and bells* I don't know if y'all know this about me, but I'm a total weekend girl. I take my weekends seriously. What I mean by that is… I don't make plans unless I really feel like it. Meaning, you must be a special person to me if I spend my weekend days/hours around/with you. Y'all might think I'm exaggerating, but I am so serious! All I want to do is be with my hubby and my kids (I partially mean it about the kids, ha). Then there's my "Wine-Oh Sunday" clique. We get together once a month on a Sunday (see here for the back story… and we started at 4, and we're down to 3 ladies now, but that's another story), or a Saturday, or both depending on how much we NEED to kick it and let our hair down.

But one thing that I enjoy the most about weekends is how casual I dress. I wear what I want, and I like to be comfy. I know that some bloggers don't post what they feel are "non-blog worthy" outfits, but here at SpoonFull of Sugar, you get me. YAY!! *more party streamers and bells*

Sometimes I'm all dressed up for date nights, at times I'm all corporate fly for work, then there's lil old weekend me, who would rather be in comfy pants and gym shoes (that's Chicago speak for tennis shoes). Notice the J's.

No need to adjust your glasses, or stare at the screen. I'm really wearing sweat pants that I pulled up over my calves.

I probably could have put on some heels, jewelry and a more dressy top to attempt the "Sports Luxe" trend and make y'all think I ran around like that. Not to say that I wouldn't. But this particular day… naaaaaahhhhhhh! That just wasn't me. But the jailhouse pose above is soooooooo me :)

Y'all see my Buffalo Stance, right?! I'm kind of a big deal.

**side note: If you don't know the song "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry, I suggest you Google it**

My daughter caught me mid dance move. Not sure what I was doing, but she dared me to post it, so. Yea.

9.20.2013

No need to adjust your eyes, or refresh your browser :) After almost two months of allowing dust to cover my blog, I'm finally posting. I haven't been completely incognito though. I've been around… Reading blogs, tweeting/retweeting, commenting and "liking" on IG and Facebook. I promise, I have! Even though I haven't put hand to keyboard here, I've seen and interacted with most of you on other social media outlets, so trust me when I say, I haven't forgotten about you.

To the peeps who don't currently "follow" me elsewhere, please take a moment to do so if you can. I'm on Instagram& Twitter for the most part. I also have a FB Blog Page. Now, admittedly I'm not very active on the FB blog page, but I promise to pop up every now and then :)

After my outfit post for date-night, there's a few pics that I've also posted on Instagram. Stick with me though! I mean, you've come this far, so why not?!

Now, about this outfit… For some reason, blogger buddy Kim of The Natural Fashionista has me thinking that I can sport crop tops!! Yea, I said it!! Crop tops!! And ya girl drank the Kool-Aide. I saw this cute crop at H&M and couldn't pass it up. The polka dots caught my eye, and it's right on trend with the now fading comic art craze. Not that I'm super trendy or anything, but I do like to try new stuff sometimes.

Let's talk for a second about this high-waisted pencil skirt!! I picked this bad boy up at Stella Blue, a little boutique in my area.They normally don't carry plus sizes, but I always stop by just to see what they have, and to try a few things on. Plus they sell some really nice smelling body oils. I was drawn to this skirt. The $10 price tag may have had something to do with it, but I digress. But when I saw that it was a size M/L, I got a little said. Something told me to try it on. Again, it could have been the $10 tag, but I can't say for sure. I tried it. The end result?!? It fit, and I loved it! Throw it in the bag!

It started raining outside, hence the final pic in my basement ;) Ha!

Top - H&M

Skirt - Stella Blu

Shoes -DSW (Steve Madden)

I received this shirt from a fellow IG buddy. Check out her on-line store for more styles of tees for ladies with natural hair!

7.30.2013

I hope everyones week is off to a great start. I just wanted to quickly post one of my favorite outfits to date. If you've been rocking with me for a while, you'll remember the bottom half of this dress from a post last year (May, 2012) titled, Curves Ahead. This dress was my very first purchase from ASOS and I love it! I refuse to let this dress go, so I had to "take it in" a bit because I'm in the process of changing said curves. I'm thinking that's a good problem to have. At least in my case it is.

Aside from my striped dress worn here,here, and here this top is my only other peplum item. I love the trend, but have found that not all peplum is created equal. You have the find the right cut for you, and I do adore my two lonely little purchases.

As some of you already know (and saw if you clicked the above links) I'm all about repurposing a wardrobe item. This is no exception. I wore the dress as a skirt this time, and added my new peplum top from Target (which I got on clearance for $8.97).

Last but not least, lets just take a sec to talk about these lace covered Steve Madden heels!! They've been in my closet for over a year, and this was my first time sporting them. Super cute, with a capitol C! I wanted to wear them with this dress/skirt because it gave me the feel of print mixing. Subtle, but still there.

7.23.2013

Hey peeps!! I hope you guys are enjoying your summer so far. We're coming up on the end of July and I'm trying to soak up every bit of sun that I can. Minnesota can be tricky when it comes to weather, so I'm here for all of this wonderful heat.

I miss you guys! Is that weird to say? Maybe it is, but it's true. I'm just going with the flow and I post when I'm able to snap a few pics with my daughter. Our schedules are a bit hectic because she got a JOB!! You heard me right!! A paying job!! My baby-girl is a teachers aide for a Summer program. I'm so proud of her! =D With that being said, I don't really want to bother her too much with the blog stuff because I want to allow her to rest. I'm a nice mommy, huh? lol

I wanted to snap a few pics this morning, because it isn't often that I love my outfit AND my hair at the same time. Ha!

I copped this dress on clearance at eShakti. It is everything!! I was browsing through the "Overstock" section of the website, and that's when I spotted this cute houndstooth sheath dress. I had been wanting a dress or skirt in houndstooth print for a while now, but never found anything that I felt suited me. After a few clicks on some dresses that were possibles, there it was! My eyes lit up when I clicked on this dress!

Then, it happened. The dress only went up to a size 14. Even though the material indicated that it had some stretch, I entered complete let down mode. I was really bummed out. Then something told me to take a look at my progress/workout pics. And that brought me to this…

I posted this pic on Instagram about a month ago. I used it to motivate me when I went into a workout slump. I was feeling really down about the scale not moving, and I needed a boost. Once I looked at the before and after, I went through with my order. And I'm glad I did. That 14 fit me like a glove! I felt super cute and, so I had to snap a few pics before the kids and I left the house this morning.

**The moral of this story is... TRY IT!! You never know what works and what doesn't unless you try it out. Also, give yourself more credit. We sometimes get hung up on where we think we should be, and forget to be proud of where we are.**

Until next time...

I through on a light weight blazer for work. Reason #1, Sometimes a sista needs to down-play some of these curves. And #2, it gets chilly in the office & I don't like it :)

6.29.2013

Hey peeps! I hope you guys are enjoying your weekend!! I know I am. Currently Hubby and I are working on getting our pool & hot tub together so they can be in usable condition by the 4th of July. We're almost there. All we need now is for the weather to cooperate, and it will be all good.

For those of you who rock with me on Instagram & Twitter, you can look forward to a plethora of pics that include me chillin by/in said pool with some sort of cold beverage (which may or may not be of the alcoholic variety). #dontjudgeme ;)

Moving on to the OOTD. As I've said in a previous post, I am a "repeat offender" when it comes to clothes. You might read other blogs or have friends/family who you never see in the same thing twice. I am not one of those people. And since my blog reflects me, you will see some of those things once, twice or three tiiiiiiiiimes (a laaaaadaaaayyyy) here. *sorry about that Lionel Richie reference, it just came to my mind*

I was trying to get my life together to participate in the #StyleMeFriday segment of Eboni's blog, but I didn't make it in time :( It was all about peplum. Since I only have one item in this style (I actually JUST purchased a shirt from Target today), I had to dig deep to figure out ow to re-work it since I've worn it twice on the blog already here and here.

I think this worked. It turned out just as I saw it in my head. Don't you just love it when that happens?

Until next time…

***Remember that Google Reader is going away next week. Check out my previous post regarding migrating all of the blogs that you read to Feedly so that you don't miss any updates/new posts***

6.24.2013

I've come to the realization that Instagram has been my mistress for the past few months. Like any cheater, I've neglected my home, so it became less appealing. The interaction that I get on IG is awesome because it's in real time and I feel like I'm getting to know those of you who are over there.

I do miss the writing side of blogging and I also miss those of you who aren't on IG. Btw, what the heck are you waiting for? Get on over there and connect with me! :)

Anyhoo, on to more pressing matters. Like the fact that most of you know, Google Reader is going away. Aside from Instagram, you can still find me on Twitter& BlogLovin. And for you guys who are worried about finding/losing blogs that you read everyday, (mine included) I've transitioned over to a really cool alternative for Google Reader. It's called Feedly. I was able to migrate all of the blogs from my Google Reader to Feedly very easily and it's actually better than I thought it would be! Try it!

I've babbled long enough. It's time for my OOTD. I know that this outfit is not everyones cup of tea. Hell, I wouldn't even wear it without the Hubs!! There's no need to give me "constructive" feedback on how NOT to show my midriff. Yes, I know I have stretch love marks & this tummy ain't flat (I'm working on that part). I have two children and I've lived with all of the love they've given me for the past 14 years (shout out to my babies!!). I've heard/read it all. Seriously. I got this. There's a reason why it's called personal style. It's, well… Personal. There's also something awesomely liberating about owning your own style. Hits, misses, and everything in-between. Do it. I dare you!

Until next time…

P.S., my daughter cut my feet out of every pic & I didn't notice until I started editing. Ugh! Gotta love her!

5.28.2013

Hey peeps!! I hope you all took time to remember and say a prayer those who gave their lives, as well as those who continuously put their lives on the line for our freedoms and liberties. And in the midst of being thankful, I'm sure that everyone hit up a BBQ somewhere & did some serious damage! lol

I had a great weekend. I took Friday off work, so it was a nice 4 day weekend for me. Why is it that no matter how long you take away from work, it always feels like it was never enough?

Anyhoo, on to the OOTD…

Today, I wore this easy breezy peach top. I snagged it on clearance at Herbergers (Boston, Carson Prairie Scott) for around $4 last year! I've only worn it a few times, and every time I put it on I ask myself why don't I wear it more often. I love the color and the fabric is so soft! I'm wearing a scarf because this cool Minnesota air just doesn't understand that it's supposed to be Spring! I want warmer weather, and I want it NOW!!

I picked up the jeans from Old Navy. They are my new favorites! These bad boys were on clearance for under $10, and now I'm kicking myself for not buying more than one pair. I try not to wear them as much so my "chub rub" doesn't ruin them. Ha! No really. I would hate to have to throw them away. I would probably shed a tear or two. I'm serious.

**Do you have a favorite pair of jeans? Do you want to keep me from crying? If you answered "Yes" to at least one of these questions, please leave the brand/style in the comments. I'm always taking recommendations.** Thank ya kindly!! ;)

Until next time…

Top - Herbergers

Scarf - Target?? (I tore the tags off)

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Target

***Bonus pics!!***

Swimsuits that I tried on at Old Navy. I got the purple one. It was $9!!! The pink one was the winner in my Instagram poll, but I didn't feel comfy with no straps. Gosta keep "the girls" in check, ya know?

My aces/family (l to r) Shontelle, Regina and myself. Whenever we get together, we always TURN UP! We got it in on Sunday!!

5.06.2013

Hey peeps! Hope you guys had a great weekend. I sure did. The sun has finally come out to stay in good old Minnesota and we're trying to spend as much time outside as possible these days. This past Winter was terrible and lasted longer than anyone would have liked. Our last snow fall was just a little over a week ago!! Ok, enough about the weather. On to my #ootd.

I love me some Old Navy. If you take a peek at a lot of my previous posts, you will find that I frequent that place often, and their clearance racks have me dancing in the isles. No really. Sometimes I do a little dance when I find a steal of a deal. #dontjudgeme Ha!

You've seen this skirt before, and I have no problem showing it again. It's actually the same skirt from my previous post, just in a different color.Yes, I am a… dare I say it?! Repeat offender. I wear things in my closet more than once. So sue me. And, if I find a cute way to wear it, you just might see me rocking it that way again. Shocking, I know. lol! That's just me. And here at Spoon Full of Sugar, that's what you get. Me ;)

This look is also my link up entry to last weeks Style Me Friday segment over at Eboni's spot The Fashionista Next Door. Head on over her way to see all of the other lovely ladies who linked up in their white Tees!!

5.02.2013

Hey peeps!! Let me start by giving a big fat THANK YOU to all of you!! You didn't delete me from your readers because I've been MIA, and for that I'm thankful!! I've been around, reading blogs, looking at pics, reading tweets and "liking" Instagram pics. I just haven't had the time to get back to blogging until now.

I have so much to say/show!! But, I'm gonna try to keep my first post relatively short as I get back into the swing of things. Please hang in there with me if you follow me in IG and have seen some of these pics. This won't be the norm now that I can get out and do OOTD pics again.

First thing's first. Hubby and I purchased our very first (and hopefully last) home! We're homeowners y'all!! I love our home! Packing, moving, and unpacking is a monster, but I wake up smiling, feeling blessed, and thanking God every morning. This pic was taken in April... And yes, that's snow in April! O_o

Secondly, I haven't given up on my health/fitness/wellness journey. I must admit that I have stumbled a bit here and there with my eating habits, but slacking on being active is not an option for me. Exercising at least four days a week as helped me to reach my 2nd weight goal. I'm not comfortable with sharing that number just yet. Not sure if I ever will be, but it damn sure felt good to get there. I now have a new goal, and I'm working everyday to get there.

While two great things were happening in my life, I also lost someone very close to me. My Aunt Berda was called Home to the Lord. Her passing was devastating to my family, as she was/is our backbone. She was one of the most kind, loving, passionate and family oriented people that I know. She had a significant role in raising me to be the woman that I am today. I know she's watching over me and I am comforted knowing that she's no longer in pain and can be forever young. Rest in Peace my Angel.

The next thing that I'm going to mention makes me smile every time I catch my reflection. My hair. When I tell you that I love the way my natural hair is shaping up, I mean it! There were times when it was growing out that I wasn't so sure about it. I'm sure now. From braid-outs, to twist-outs, to afros, to this cute little bun that I recently learned how to do, I LOVE IT!!

And last but not least... (I know I said I would keep it short, but I just couldn't. Ha!) An outfit post. Let me just say, I just love this Marilyn Monroe top.

Thank you guys again for hanging in there, and shout out to those of you who checked up on me to make sure that I was ok. I'm good. BABY I'M BACK! Please stay tuned. Until next time...